Fort Denaud, located a few miles west of LaBelle, Florida, was established during the 1800s and has of one of the few remaining swing bridges left in Florida.
The historical marker on the south side of the bridge notes the fort was established during the 2nd Seminole War by Captain B.L.E. Bonneville on land owned by Pierre Danaud, a French Indian trader. It served as a supply depot for troops near Lake Okeechobee and was one of the posts linking American operations south of Tampa to the east coast until the war ended in 1842. After the outbreak of the 3rd Seminole War, Fort Denaud reopened in 1855 until a fire burned the post down in June 1856. It then reopened for the final time at a site north of the river until it was abandoned in May 1858.
Fort Denaud is also home to a cemetery - where generations have laid their deceased to rest under the cabbage palms and oak trees. With grave sites dating back to the 1800s, it offers a unique historical marker of times past.
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